Rye redevelopments meeting expected to draw large crowd

RYE — The Planning Board is holding two public hearings tonight to discuss the redevelopment of the former Rand Lumber property and a proposal for a restaurant at Foyes Corner.

Joey Cresta

RYE — The Planning Board is holding two public hearings tonight to discuss the redevelopment of the former Rand Lumber property and a proposal for a restaurant at Foyes Corner.

Among the agenda items for tonight's meeting are public hearings on a preliminary major site development and minor subdivision plans and a special use permit for 511 Wallis Road, and a final site development plan for property at 5 Pioneer Road.

Both developments have generated substantial interest among residents, and the meeting is being held in the junior high school cafeteria to accommodate what is expected to be a large crowd.

It was standing room only at Town Hall for a previous public hearing on the two proposals in September. Many neighbors of the Wallis Road property turned out to hear more information and ask questions about a plan to convert the property into a 20-unit retirement community development.

The property is the former site of Rand Lumber, a family-owned business that went up for sale late last year.

The other major item on the agenda relates to local developer Michael Labrie's plan to build a restaurant on land he owns at the roundabout otherwise known as Foyes Corner.

When the plan last came before the Planning Board, Labrie said it was a 296-seat restaurant; however, the agenda for tonight's meeting indicates it is a 287-seat building.

The restaurant is the first phase of developing Foyes Corner into what Labrie has described as a traditional New England village center. Labrie owns The River House restaurant on Bow Street in Portsmouth, and has suggested this restaurant would be similar in terms of fare and price point.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and the public hearings are among the first items on the agenda. The board will also hold public hearings on seven proposed zoning amendments.

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